Woman’s body found at property at Ilbilbie near Mackay

Police have launched a homicide investigation after a body was found on a rural property near Mackay. It’s believed to be the body of a 31-year-old woman who had been missing since August 9.

The body of a Queensland mum missing for three weeks is believed to been found on the same rural property where league legend Marty Bella was allegedly run down by a neighbour in a separate incident.

A body, believed to be that of Rene Latimore, was found on a property at Ilbilbie near Mackay where she’d been staying with her father, stepmother and son, more than three weeks after she was last seen alive.

It is understood she was found on the property several kilometres from the house.

Detective Inspector Tom Armitt said on Monday the body of a woman was discovered at the property at 2.30pm Sunday.

“We are yet to get a formal identification, however, we strongly believe that the person we’ve located to be Rene Latimore, who has been missing since the 9th of August,” he said.

“Due to circumstances, we are conducting a homicide investigation from here.

“I can’t reveal the reasons at this particular point in time, but indications are that her death is going to be treated as suspicious

Police had mounted a new search for Ms Latimore on the 270ha rural property, including by

air, and located her remains in the afternoon.

Koumala woman Rene Latimore was last seen on August 8. Picture: Queensland Police Media

He said police would rely on DNA and medical evidence to formally identify the remains as Ms Latimore as it appeared her body had been there for “quite a period of time”.

“We are appealing to members of the public that anyone who has had any contact with Rene Latimore in the lead up to her going missing, any conversations that they had, what the state of her mindset was at that particular point in time, any fears or concerns that she expressed to them, (or) any contact that (she) had made with them - it’s vitally important that we know,” he said.

“We really need to discover anybody who has had any contact with Rene Latimore leading up to her disappearance.”

Bella, a former Origin great and local councillor, recently bought the Ilbilbie property, which sits close to his own home, for the purpose of running cattle.

But it is understood the previous owners, the Latimores, stayed on at the house.

In an unrelated incident, police say Bella was visiting the property on July 15 when he found a man, another local resident, leaving a shed.

It is alleged he asked the man what he was doing, resulting in a verbal exchange.

The man is alleged to have got into his vehicle and driven it at Bella, who was on his quad bike.

“I walked back to the bike … and as I got on the bike … I heard a roar,” Bella told The Courier-Mail recently.

“(I) shot over the front of the bike … I landed on my back and my head hit the ground and I lost consciousness.”

Police will allege the 54-year-old man sprayed a substance in the eyes of Bella several times, before further assaulting him.

“It is alleged two men, aged 54 and 57, who are known to each other, became involved in a verbal altercation around 4.30pm on a road outside the property,” a statement from police at the time said.

Former Origin great Martin Bella. Picture: Dominic Elsome

“It is further alleged that following the altercation, the 54-year-old man got in his ute and drove it directly at the 57-year-old man, who had returned to his quad bike.

“The ute then crashed into the quad bike and forced it down into a drain, causing the 57-year-old man to be thrown from the vehicle.

“The 54-year-old man then allegedly exited his vehicle, approached the man and sprayed him in the eyes with the unknown substance before further assaulting him.”

The 54-year-old man has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and assault occasioning bodily harm.

It is understood the Latimore family were spoken to by police about whether they had seen or heard anything in relation to the alleged assault on Bella.

Police recently said they held serious concerns for Ms Latimore’s safety given she had not accessed her bank accounts, social media or used her phone in that time.

On Saturday a fisherman found an unidentified item at Rocky Dam Creek boat ramp, about 25km away.

“This item, small in size and apparently in the water for considerable time, has been removed and will undergo forensic analysis,” police said in a statement.

“There is no information at this time to confirm that the object has human origins or is related to this investigation, however investigators await the results of forensic testing.”

Mackay District Detective Inspector Tom Armitt has said: “We’re keeping an open mind but there’s a number of lines of inquiry as to (whether there is) something suspicious.”

The missing woman’s father, stepmother and son left to visit family in nearby Mackay around August 8, leaving her at the Ilbilbie property.

“When they returned, she wasn’t there,” he said.

Koumala woman Rene Latimore was last seen at a home on August 8. Picture: Queensland Police Media

“Originally they thought that she was off doing other things or engaging in other activities. And then around the 18th they made a decision to report her missing because they could not get in contact with her, they had not heard anything from her and hadn’t seen any sort of social media updates from her.”

Prior to the weekend search, Det Insp Armitt said police had spent days visiting neighbouring properties trying to gain a picture of whether any vehicles had come and gone from the Latimore home.

The last sighting of Ms Latimore was around August 9 when other family members dropped in to see her briefly at the Schrimers Rd address.

Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.